So we finally cleared the French border with Andorra without a problem, mingled and simmered with the many tourists of Carcassone’s fortress in the summer’s swealtering heat, and rushed into a calming lakeside camping on the “ruffe” of this fire-prone Mediterranean area of France. Here it is in pictures.
From Camping Font de Ferrosins in Andorra to home in Poland, there’s 2,131 kilometers, 21 hours and 35 minutes of driving to go, excluding breaks. We’re taking the route with tolls this time, unlike previous slow-go, no-toll, road-trips in France. After all French toll roads can be quite expensive.
We are in a hurry now to get to our new home in Poland. We also need to be there before a specific date for family stuff and car inspection.
So, we gotta long-haul these last travel legs for the next couple of days and skip much of this part of France.
It’s never enough to see, though we’ve had a lot of stops in France in the last 4 years of our summer camping road trips from Spain to Poland and back-and-forth again and again.
It turned out that potential “hurdle number 3” (of being able to cross into France without showing a negative Covid test result or proof of vaccination. . . yup, Covid-19 still lingers during this trip) was a non-issue. Maybe we just got lucky and slipped through the havy entry regulations.
Now, what?
Potential Hurdles #4 is what! As the entry regulations sort of mention in the countries whose borders we plan to cross, wIll we need to show proof of anti-Covid vaccination and negative test result at the camping site or any other accomodation?
This was suppossed to be the case in Andorra (according to published regulations) but wasn’t really. Hard to tell.
If that’s the case, that could be a serious problem. We wouldn’t be able to sleep anywhere else but in our own car. . . at least until we get tested, hoping it would be a negative result.
We have friends in the city of bears, Bern, Switzerland but the Swiss are not letting people in at this time. We can long-haul it to the German border but it’s 900-something kilometers. Daggonit, that’s a double whammy burger!
As with all other “operations” we have a back up plan-inplace. . . But it’s a very thin one.
So, with a car full of household stuff and camping gear, two cute kids and a dad that looked like he’s guilty of something. . . off we go, once again, into the great unknown!
Aaaaannnnnnddddd. . . nope! No Covid-shaize-auf-der-strasse documentation needed. Hurdle 4 is cleared. We are good to go!
So, finally here’s a review in pictures of red earth camping on Lake Salagou (Lac du Salagou), . . . for all you happy campers out there. Happy Camping in France.
If you need more info on the campsite, text follows at the end of the pictures. Big Smile!
What to do at the Lake Salagou?
Here’s a little bit of interesting info about Lake Salagou.
Lac du Salagou is the biggest lake in the Herault region of France and is less than an hour drive from the Mediterranean coast of Montpelier or Agde, France–our first family camping.
And it is made by man. Apparently, this area that is now the lake was flooded when a nearby dam was created in the 1960s.
The red earth (or “ruffe”) or reddish sandstone rock is due to iron oxide deposits.
It’s a four-season destination for various outdoor activities. You can easily spend a week or a weekend interacting with nature. Great for hikers/trekkers/senderismo/strollers and all-around nature lovers. You can rent paddleboats. If you have a boat, even better.
An interesting place to visit is the village of Celles near Camping Vailhes. Story goes that when the dam was built and the surrounding area was flooded to create the lake, the waters stopped at the foot of the village. The village was abandoned.
50 years later, the inhabitants are coming back and there’s a drive for revitalization and renovations of ruined buildings. It’s quite a an idyllic and scenic spot!
REVIEW of Camping Vailhès on LaC du Salagou (Lake)
A little NOTE before we go on with the review. In case you’re wondering. . . NO, we have not received (nor expect to receive) any form of compensation or freebies or anything at all for reviewing or mentioning this or any others on our blog. We do because it may be helpful to you and others. And it’s fun too!
What we like about this campground?
Calm lakeside camping with a some kind of “wild” beach and potable water sources at or near your tent/pitch–those are the things we like about Camping Vailhes.
It’s also close to highway but you can’t hear the noise from cars/trucks at the camping site.
Notes about this Camping
We couldn’t quite tell exactly if they were crabs or crayfish. But there sure were lots of in the water at sundown. They’re hunting. And they swim fastm like lobsters. And their harmless to humans. The kids have fun chasing them in the water. Grab a flashlight and try to catch them with your kids. FUN and NEWNIQUE activity!
The hills that surround the lake provide a scenic backdrop while the kids have water play at the beach.
There’s a designated swimming spot with floating barriers. Yet many of the brave and wild-at-heart type choose to swim in the “wild” nature and venture out further.
It looks like there are several longer-term, idyllic campers here; some with small sail boats.
There look to be an overworked young boy at the receptionist.
Apparently we were the first Poles to have camped here.
Many campers sleep with tents wide open; some with legs equally wide open. Some things you just cannot unsee that you’d rather not have seen. Beware where your eyes wander.
What Can be Improved at this campsite?
What not to like? Dogs poop here… at least some with inconsiderate owners.
Room for improvement: campingrounds should post a big sign that says… PLEASE PET OWNERS, DON’T LET YOUR DOGS POOP ON THE CAMPING PITCHES/PLOTS/TENT AREAS. KIDS PLAY HERE. PEOPLE EAT HERE. That sh*t ain’t sanitary. WOOF WOOF WOOF!
Not much air circulation in the WC. Although there were two (2) WC/restroom areas, it seemed like there’s not enough sanitary facilities for the size of the camp.
There was a super loud music from a group of young people near the bathrrom for about an hour and a half before cut off at 11… too late for some with kids, but hey, isn’t summers time to let loose. . . your goose?
PRICE
€32.74 euros per night (tax included) for a family of four (two kids–1 under 6 years old) and a 4-person tent with electricity in the summer high season (in mid-July).
Almost the same as Camping Trevelez and the last camping site in Lake Caspe during this road trip, both in Spain.
Price Breakdown per night: not available
- €X.00 for a 4-person tent
- €X.00 car
- €X.00 for electricity
- €X.00 per adult
- €X.00 for children under 12 years old. Yes, FREE! Yay!
PITCH
How’s the pitch?
ROCKY. Hard pitch/plot on clean rocky ground. It’s NOT dusty here from dirt and road everytime a car would pass by.
Pegs would go in, depends on if you manage NOT to hit a rock. We had two bent pegs.
Pitch was just right, big enough to fit our standard gear: our (now-bigger) 4-person Amayama tent, dining area with two tables and 4 chairs, plus the parked car with comfortable room in between.
There’s enough space to put the car in front of the the tent, between the tent and the road, for a bit of protection and privacy. Depends on how you want it.
There are 228 plots/pitches for tents and caravans. Yup, it’s big yet relatively calm and quiet (apart from the boombox-dancing crowd of young ‘uns).
There’s a different zone/area for camping cars, caravans and camper vans.
PLAY areas
Is camping all about playgrounds and swimming pools? For our boys, YES, it is!
SWIMMING POOL
Unfortunately for our boys, NO POOL here.
The good news is, there’s a clean-looking LAKE with swimamable cold water in the summer and nice views of the surrounding hills.
The beach has a designated swimming spot enclosed by floating barriers.
Other people choose to swim “wild”–out of the areas reserved for swimmers.
NO LIFEGUARD around.
PLAYGOUNDS
Playgrounds are a must in any family-friendly camping sites. Children could spend the entire day at a playground. And it’s also a great place to meet other children.
Here, there’s a small playground for younger kids–about 5 and under. The playground looked new. It has a climb-and-slide structure, a rocker, and a mini rockclimbing wall.
No shade.
ACCESSibility
Is it easily accessible? The campground is close to the highway and main road, but quiet… likely because of the hills that block the highway.
The entrance towards the camping site was not quite obvious to see from the road, apart from the small road signs with the symbol for a tent/camping.
So slow down as you get near the turn onto D148E5 road. Head for the lake.
If you would look away as you approached the turn, you’d likely miss it. There are no flags, no big signs to catch your attention. . . just the normal-sized directional signs.
Once you make that turn, you’d have about a kilometer, straight down towards the lake. But you gotta turn to the left to the campsite after about 500 meters.
SHADE
Plenty of shaded camping with tall trees in all corners except for the exterior pitches along the fence.
Shade is especially helpful when camping in Spain and France in the summer. And in the mountains, you can actually get sunburned. You’re closer to the sun after all! Duh!
Privacy hedges
Not much really inbetween pitches; only those that mark the outer sections of the different camping areas.
The outer perimeter of the campsite has chain-link (see through) fences, marked by trees and shrubs at some places.
SANITARY FACILITIES
Dishwashing and clothes-washing areas
Areas to wash clothes and dishes are clean, and located next to each of the two (2) the bathroom areas.
There were five (5) sinks for washing dishes and four (4) for washing clothes, No Covid/coronavirus social-distancing measures in between sinks.
WC/Bathroom/Shower
Two (2) modernized, unisex WC/bathroom/restroom facility areas–clean but overused with seemingly constant foot traffic.
Have amenities for wheelchair-bound campers.
Ventilation was not so good. Each section (males/females) with 3 stalls for toilet, 3 showers, 3 sinks, and of course three (3) urinals for men.
Another good thing here is that there are hook and places by the sink and at the shower to put your things.
Bathrooms are are old but clean, with plenty of room to maneuver although campers are for the most part respectful of social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
There’s plenty of FREE hot water. I know, I know, right? Where else do they charge for water?!?!? In some campsite in Belgium and Poland, YES, they do!
It comes with toilet paper and they did not run out of it. Believe you me, there are plenty of camping sites out there that do NOT provide this most essential product of modern civilized society!
There were hand soap and sanitizing gel.
There’s NO electric hand dryer; only paper towel to dry hands. Oh, No: DEAD TREES!
NO PROBLEM with water drainage.
NO separate FAMILY bathroom which, admittedly, is a novelty for camping sites, but NOT unusual for family-friendly camping sites in Spain.
DINE or DRINKS
There’s a proper beach bar/restaurnt by the beach, but we did not get a chance to have dinner or drinks. Too tired after a loooonnnnggg drive.
It also helps, especially if you don’t wanna drive or WALK to town or have some kind of a nightlife. . . with KIDS, of course! ALWAYS!!
It has some shaded/unshaded outdoor terrace. You might NOT like shade, but it could be a life-saver in the summer and in places like this.
WI-FI
Wifi at reception area; works fast and free (or at least no additional costs)! There’s a bench outside the reception that’s usually occupied by older children.
others
We did not see the following additional amenities: refrigerator, freezer or microwave. It’s likely there. We probably just missed them.
TIPS for Camping in Spain and France
FIRE: Do NOT make fires outside of the designated BBQ/barbeque areas. In fact, here at this campsite, DO NOT MAKE ANY FIRES AT ALL. This is a FIRE-PRONE area and you’ll see signs that warns you of that. In fact, there are some firehoses at certain places all around the camp. It can be quite dangerous, especially in sweltering dry summer months. Be mindful of this. You don’t wanna be the one who started a forest fire, now, would you?
SWIM CAPS: To be able to use the swimming pools, make sure to bring swimming caps/headgear (you know, those little things you put over your head to make sure your hair does NOT get into the pool, and if you have it on too tight, your eyes start to squint like you’re a drunken runaway monkey. . .) Yup, that one!
Although it was not really needed (or enforced) here, it would do you good to bring them with you when camping in Spain (maybe even France) to save you money, just in case the camping site that you ended up in has a pool and are strict about enforcing the so-called regulations, if there are in fact any such thing.
WALKING: Be kind. Unwind! There can be a lot of walking involved in this camp, even if you just need to go to the toilet/showers and even with the stone step-stairs. If you treat your walk as some form of kinhin or walking meditation, you might blend just right in with the calm and solitude of the environment.
Check out this video of FREE things you can do with kids in the Sierra Nevada… in the snow!
UNFILTERED Road Trip NOTES on the road From Andorra to France
310 kilometers; 7 hours on the road (almost 4 hours of driving) and 2.5 hours stop over in Carcassone.
Much different crossing this time. 10 minutes from the gas station through the tunnel to the border check. Border guards stopped the campervan with French plates but not us. last time there was a huge line that can be seen for miles snaking up the mountain.
Seems like no villages on this side of the Pyrenees. My younger sone feels like barfing.
On N20 towards Foix Touloousse. Through the imposing rock mountain with overgrown trees. Pass a village called Barry and some kind of Ussat
D119 @ Les Pujols 1.7 euros for 95 gas. Left to D206, after Rieucros. Right onto D6, La Forge. Right onto D625.
D119 to (47 kms ) Carcassone. D533, 24 km to Carcassone.
Carcassone stop: a cash-sucking, unimpreasive stop with too many tourists.
Get ticket pay toll at A61/E80, until SW of Beziers. Unconnected highway on Google towards suburb called Boujan-onto A75.
Pic: windfarm along north of A61, between Luc sur Orbieau and Ornaisons.
A9 towards Beziers. Heavy traffic with tail-gating F-plate drivers. The first we have seen this trip.
A75. Good thing about driving in France is that there’s lots of rest areas called “Aire” something, which you hardly see in Spain.
Exit. D609. Lac du Salagou. red earth hot Camping Vailhes for a night or two.
RT4-D19: 21.7 MIE to France via Carcassone; start: 1,167 miles, at 1139; 1440-1712 stopover; arrived: 1840.
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Next Stop: Don’t Exactly Know
Onwards, upwards. . . . still to Polonia! We’re sort of improvising now as we enter the last legs of our road trip. Next stop, camping by the river, somewhere in France, close to the border with Germany.
The first 20 days of our family camping road trip. . . number FOUR covered 1,617-something kilometers from Jerez de la Frontera, detour to Bolonia, then Setenil de las Bodegas, the white villages of the Alpujarras, the caves of Guadix, Baeza, Ubeda, Ossa de Montiel, the hanging houses of Cuenca, Lake Caspe and finally the little country of Andorra. . .
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